canucklehead

My cousin worked at Tsunami in the 90's and Rick Shroeder would come in and be the Big Star. He would had out two dollar bills at the end of the evening to the staff - and they would say "Thanks Rikster!". Food may not be so great - but try handing out toonies and see what happens.

In the Vancouver Forum (I am trying to keep this topic Vancouver specific) - most people think for themselves and are able to separate the wheat from the chaff. There are alot of industry insiders that post - and for the most part - I am very happy for it. I don't think that groupthink is as prevalent as it may seem to be at times. The postings tend to be polite and focused on the positive - but that does not mean people can't spot the red herring on the plate. At times, and this is to borrow a phrase, it does seem that the Happy Train is on full bore here - so it is nice to hear dissenting POV's. As for the creditability of well know reviewers - well it is a case by case issue. I happen to place alot of trust in Mr Maw - and this has been earned over a number of reviews and articles. Perhaps threads you should at: Vancouver Reviewers, who do you go by? Eg and Vancouver Restaurants - are we too soft? Alot of people have made thoughtful comments in the past - so I don't think retreading discussions is that useful. Still - I always like see what people have to say.

Oh yeah - they have a great lunch. Succulent grilled mackeral lunch set for something like $10. Warning though - your breath smells like you've been licking a dolphin for the rest of the afternoon.

I really dont sleep much and watch very little television.. Dinners I like to prepare as much as possible the day before.. I get most of my groceries delivered, and the two of us work really well together..On the weekends its much easier to cook.. Yesterday we were up at 10 o'clock and had everything cooked and ready to go by 5.. Only the pork needed to be brined the day before.. The guests arrived at 6 and all we had left was to poach the eggs for the salad and plate the grits and lamb shank.. ← Dude - that was amazing. The logistics of a meal like that would kill me. When I entertain - I try to do it family style. Very impressive.

I gotta shill for my favorite - Okada which is also located downtown.Their webpage. They have a great fresh sheet and always impeccably fresh sushi. The suggestions regarding the izakaya places are really worth checking out - Guu Garlic is a personal favorite.

Check out the article here: Women Can't Cook Good ole' Gordo - making new friends wherever he goes. Actually - I think what he is commenting on is the decline in home cooking in general. What I don't understand is why women get the pointy end of the stick in terms of blame. However - I am not sure what the break down is women vs men on egullet - but it seems to me that there are alot of people here that care about home cooking and take steps to feed their families and themselves well.

Well said - the components of everything is technically bang on and smart. But - saucing is minimum/non-existent. I thought the schintzel would have been improved with a lighting saucing or lemon wedges - but these are really minor minor quibbles. I also hope that crowds build slowly - the staff are young and seem a little inexperienced. Heather did ALL of the cooking herself the night I was there - including whipping up the kick-ass souffle from zero-sixty in no time flat. I would hate to see the place overwhelmed and burnt out from too big of a hit early on. It is clearly a labour of love - and I am looking forward to dropping in often for a late evening after work meal in the future. Nice place to decompress and have a good value/mellow little meal...

As a lucky recpient of the dinnner - I have to say it was spectacular. I cannot pick of a favorite - the parade of courses brought tears to my eyes. Soooo good. What are not in the pictures are the young nubile servers that Deborah brought in to serve the food and fan us. It was a meal that the ancient Romans would have been jealous of. All kidding aside - Deborah spent a number of days prepping the food - and it showed. The duck was meaty and succulent but not fatty or over-rich. I agree the pears were mind blowing - I may not have had sex in my mouth yet (we will defer to Mooshmouse for that... um... knowledge) - but it was pretty spectacular. All of it. Thanks indeed

I know - too indulgent - I am planning to get on the health wagon soon... maybe next week. I wish the souffle came with a rasberry coulis or creme anglais to act as a bit of a counterpoint. Oh well - I guess one must suffer through these sort of things.

Banana Cream Tart - also very good, crispy crust, fresh bananas, whipped cream, and caramel sauce.

what happened? ← BAM BAM!

Had dinner there tonight. Great place - great food - great value. What more could you want? Sometimes it is good not to over-analyze. The spirit of youthful confidence, generosity, and good neighbourliness prevades everything. The chicken noodle soup had real homemade flavor, my chicken shnitzel was perfectly tender with a generous pile of crisp pan fried spinach spaetzle and sauteed chard. Don't think too hard - just enjoy the good diner food. The desserts however are amazing and there is a serious homerun on the menu: Mexican Chocolate Souffle This is one of the best souffles I have had anywhere (HK, LA, SFO...) and a serious steal at 6 bucks! Six f-ing dollars for a very generous portion. Usually - I am leary of 'mexican' chocolate - as I think it is a way for a restaurant to pass on second rate chocolate by covering it up with cinnamon. Not it this case - it is good chocolate warmed with sweet spiciness. The souffle itself was, from a techinical point of view, just about perfect. A crispy cap that deflated satisfingly when poked with a fork (for some reason I didn't get a spoon). It is a properly wet souffle and Heather resists the urge to dry it out to suit North American tastes. This dessert would cost a minimum US$ 12 in California. I watched Heather making these up from scratch in the back. I think that Diner is going to serve a good number of these suckers. So, even though I cannot aspire to live in the neighbourhood - I will be back. Great laidback space, delicous food, strong value, and some seriously lethal desserts being served. It is a new place - working out its kinks - so if an egullet swarm develops - play nice.

Went and had a very civilized lunch today at Addesso with Mooshmouse. Great food and good value: Started with the Aracini (deep fried rissotto balls - how can you miss?) - served with softly sweated red peppers as a sweet/sour counterpoint to the creamy fried rice. Mains were: Short ribs over house parpedelle Seafood spaghettini The ribs were rich, unctous, and delicous - they could have done with a bit more deffating - but still, great for chilly weather. The seafood spaghettini was bouyant and fresh and generous. You always think - "I should come here way more often" - what a great neighbourhood joint. Then it was mmmmmm nap time back in my office. And for the record - it was Mooshmouse that ordered the mountain'o'ribs.

I just wanted to share another quick story about a co-worker and how foodie tendencies can lead one astray. He went on a singles' cruise to make new friends and hopefully meet someone special. When he came back - we asked for pictures from the trip and all he had were copies of the menus. He thought the food so great and all he did was eat and eat and eat... in fact he gained so much weight - he went up two shoe widths! Ah - the tyranny of the stomach.

Do they give you volume discounts if I order 200 wings and scarf em myself? The record for me at "red's" in victoria was 150 wings. Yeah thinking about it now it's pretty sick but at the time it was a brilliant idea! ← Dude They have a wall of fame for those who are able to scarf down multiple portions of their super hot wings. So at Wingnuts - it is not just volume - but pain endurance. I ate (I think) 24 wings - but they were just teriyaki - so no wall of fame for me.

I am excited to try this place - I dropped by and it looks fantastic - unfortunately it was 2 hours before dinner service so I did not get to try the food. Spoke to Heather, who seems very nice (ex Jean-Georges Pastry Chef) - and she is trying to have a slow opening ramp up. Work out the kinks before sending the word out there and create a neighbourhood joint. Good to know that things are looking good in the food and value department. Things that LK next door seemed to have so much trouble figuring out.

As a counter point to the thread of tricking your non-foodie friends, I wanted to ask - when have your foodie tendencies got you tricked. As an example - my desire for tasty treats started very young. My parents had flown down with me to Disneyland when I was about 8 years old - and for some reason, all of the rides scared the crap out of me. Here were my poor parents who had planned this big trip - but were stuck with a ungrateful sacrdy-cat. Finally - to trick me onto something - they got me into the lineup for the Haunted Mansion by telling me it was the line up to a delicous buffet... mmmm I thought... thinking of fried chicken and mashed potatoes and ice cream.... I did not clue into the fact that it was NOT a restaurant until we were in the scary elevator. Tricked by my own greedy stomach! My parents did know best though - the ride broke the ice and I wanted to ride everything after that. 2 years of therapy have allowed me to forgive my parents.

How big a deal would it be for a chef to attend a meal like this? Would we expect to see say... Hawksworth, Vij, etc... to attend and sample CT's cooking? Are any local publications going to send someone in?

Went after the Home show this weekend with Mooshmouse and her spouse to check out the new menu offerings. The food as always was top notch - I had the shrimp&harissa starter and my main was the duck breast with nectarine gastric. Excellent... Nico has a way of balancing the instrinsic flavours of the food with some pretty strong spices. The attention to detail always wins me over - for example the rice that came with the duck breast was excellent - flavorful, savory, perfectly cooked and not oily. The plates always work for me. We did not have reservations so we sat in the front lounge. To be honest - it is awkward to eat up there - the space is designed more for lounging and drinking. The tables are pretty small and the spaces are cramped - our server was doing her best Cirque du Soliel contortion to serve us uninstrusively. Also - it seemed like it took longer than usual to get our food. As always - the place is hopping and the noise level can get pretty heavy duty. That being said - if you haven't been in a while - you owe to yourself to check out the new menu at Chambar. Just make sure you make a reso and get some good seating. P.S. - It is always nice spotting celebrities like Andrew and Sean Sherwood on the other side of the velvet rope.

I thought I posted this - but maybe it got zapped - I think that Whole Foods sales in house made ones... chocolate, strawberry, and something else....

All these people talking about me - no wonder my ears are burning (or there is a burning discharge at least...) Here is the thread on Wink on mighty forum master - Wink*

Actually - I've been a little curious also. I don't think the fact that he is not making the rounds in New Orleans is really a issue - it may simply be that he feels that it is not constructive for him be there (too much of a distraction from some of the really serious issues that need to be tackled). He may being doing alot of things behind the scene. I may not be a huge fan of his cooking shows - but he has always struck me as a 'real' person who tries to do the right thing. But I have watched a couple of the recent Emeril Live's - and he does'nt give Katrina much (or any actually) mention. He and the city are so intertwined in the public's mind - it is odd that he has not been more front and center on the disaster. But like I said above - we probably don't have the full picture - so I would hate for anyone to jump to any negative conclusions.

Not to speak for fud - but I am one of those not really impressed with Tojo's - but to be fair, I have usually ordered off the menu instead of letting Tojo take care of things. Perhaps the experience is different when you fully leave yourself in his hands. However, the priciness makes me reluctant to roll the dice over again.

I must admit that I am not a super fan of Congee- I run hot and bowl of hot thick broth just makes me sweat too much.... ick. In HK - I love the congee at the little shop in Sheung Wan - cannot remember the name of it... but its in a tiny alley and is very famous. The congee come s with meat balls that have watercress chopped into them - oh so good. In Vancouver - there is a place called Double Double and the congee is soo good. Amazingly creamy - so creamy in fact that it makes me suspicous of what is in it... my Aunt says that it may be oatmeal that has been powdered in a blender. That way the get the creaminess - but it won't 'break' like if you over cook the rice congee. Mmmmm - it is a cold and drizzly day in Vancouver today. Perfect congee weather.

How about: West Cioppino's HSG All do lunch and have great wine selections. Unfortunately - I don't think Cru or Aurora do lunch.